For the greater good: ‘If we all work together, we can make this art community even stronger,’ Denny Carman says
Affectionately known as “Art Dad” to the creators at MAD Co. Lab Studios, Denny Carman has been an active member of the local art community since 2007, when a work-related fall forced him to leave behind his 30-year career as a journeyman plumber.
“It sounds nuts, but it was the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” Carman said. “Even though I live in pain and I’ve always got to watch what I do – I know I’d never be doing what I do and getting all this done if I hadn’t gotten hurt. So, I’m happy with it.”
Going from an active lifestyle to one with limited mobility and very little activity was difficult on Carman. But when his son suggested painting – something he loved but hadn’t done much of since childhood – Carman’s world started to brighten again.
He started with the trees outside his window and gradually added new subjects, observing other artists and experimenting with different painting techniques along the way. “I never had any training,” he said. But the passion was there. “I just loved it and kept trying new things.”
Today, Carman channels his love for art into supporting his fellow creators, often sacrificing what little time he has left to create himself. His Facebook page is filled with “honors,” post after post highlighting his artist friends and their work.
Despite the pandemic, Carman hasn’t stopped trying to make things happen for local artists both off and online.
“I just had to think outside the box,” he said. In April 2020, Carman and MAD Co. Lab Studios founder Morgan Walters organized “Art on the Go,” a series of drive-thru art shows, each featuring more than 50 local artists. Carman hopes to launch another installment of “Art on the Go” events later this year.
In addition to his work at MAD Co. Lab Studios, planning events and art shows, Carman sells ads for Art Chowder Magazine, coordinates events for the River Ridge Association of Fine Arts and serves on the Spokane Valley Arts Council. Carman’s most recent endeavor, produced in collaboration with Kurt Schmierer at ArtistSimply, is an audio-video podcast celebrating local artists.
“We’ve already got the first 26 artists in line, (and) I’ll be interviewing just about anybody that I can,” he said. Still in the works, Carman expects to start posting episodes sometime this spring. The energy Carman spends supporting other artists in the community often leaves little time for his own art.
But at the end of the day, he wouldn’t change a thing. “When I really decided to focus on helping other people to move forward, I kind of almost gave up the time I had to paint for myself,” he said. “But I’m not complaining – I truly love what I do.”
Carman’s greatest desire is to bring artists together while helping to share their work with the surrounding community.
“I want to be back out there talking to artists, showing art and putting events together,” Carman said. “But this year, especially, my goal is to get more artists and art associations to work together … because if we all work together, we can make this art community even stronger than what it is.”
To aspiring artists, Carman offered the following advice:
“Don’t focus on getting your work in a gallery. But, if you see an empty wall in a cafe or a book shop or even a grocery store, ask if they want art. You’ve got to find your own audience and never be afraid to put yourself out there.”